1. Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a powered winch, especially for sail boats, i.e. a winch with a drum which in the winding direction may be driven with two different speeds by means of a relatively simple gear mechanism which reacts to the two different ways depending on the direction of rotation of the used reversible motor without any special readjustment means.
2. Description of Related Art
In published British Patent Application GB-A-2,276,137 it is known that this result is achieved by letting the motor drive a driving shaft carrying a large and a small gear wheel, in that between the driving shaft and the large gear wheel there is inserted a gear wheel hub arranged as a one-way clutch. The large gear wheel is driving an even larger gear wheel on an output shaft also carrying a lesser gear wheel, which is driving an internal tooth rim on the winch drum. Thereby, in one direction of rotation of the motor, a direct driving connection between the driving shaft and the output shaft will be established, while this connection is passive in the opposite direction of rotation of the motor and thereby of the driving shaft.
The small gear wheel on the driving shaft is in permanent engagement with a larger gear wheel on an intermediate shaft, which also carries a lesser gear wheel having a permanent driving connection to the large gear wheel on the output shaft. The larger gear wheel on the intermediate shaft has a hub part in form of a one-way clutch giving free wheel at the said only direction of rotation of the driving shaft while the clutch is engaged in the opposite direction of rotation where the said direct drive will be disengaged. In the opposite direction of rotation the transmission will thus take place through the intermediate shaft with an appreciably lower gear ratio and with a shift of the direction of rotation, so that the output shaft will turn in the same direction in spite of the change of the rotational direction, now only with a lower rpm.